Gregor Fisken is a British racing driver and businessman (born 28 September 1964) who currently races historic and modern-day sportscars. He is one of only a handful of racing drivers to have driven in all four classes (
LMP1, LMP2, GT1 and GT2) at the famous
Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
motor race.
Early career
Fisken began his career as an apprentice mechanic with the famous
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
restorer and dealer of pre-war motorcars, Bunty Scott-Moncrieff, while also trying his luck at
rallycross
Rallycross is a form of sprint style motorsport held on a mixed-surface circuit (racing), racing circuit using modified production touring automobile, cars or prototype racing cars. It began in the 1960s as a cross between rallying and autocross ...
in old cars he prepared. In the late 1980s Gregor worked in the sales department of Coys of Kensington, an upmarket classic car dealership in a Kensington Mews.
In 1996 Fisken’s passion for
classic cars
A classic car is typically described as an automobile 25 years or older, although a car's age is not the only requirement it must meet before being considered a "classic." However, a standard criteria for recognizing cars as classics does not ex ...
led him to open his dealership, Fiskens Fine Historic Automobiles, in London’s upmarket
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...
. As of 2014, the business continues to operate successfully, with work currently underway to expand the premises.
Racing success
With continuing business success, Fisken decided to turn his attention back to
racing
In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific g ...
– both in historic cars and more modern machinery.
In 1998, Fisken managed the feat of winning his class in both the Tour Auto and the Monaco Historic Grand Prix as well as finish a competitive second overall in the British Empire Trophy at Silverstone in a Porsche 962 Group C car. A first foray in modern racing netted Fisken a third in the Silverstone GT race in a McLaren F1 GTR.
Due to a lack of spare time, Fisken was forced to cut back on his racing activities in 1999 and 2000, only being able to compete in one race each year. Success still arrived though, scoring a third in class in the Spa 3 Hours and winning his class for the second time in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.
For 2001, Fisken competed in the Spa 24 Hours, but was unable to finish due to mechanical failure, in modern racing as well as two other races in classic cars: the
Goodwood Revival
The Goodwood Revival is a three-day festival held each September at Goodwood Circuit since 1998 for the types of road racing, racing cars and motorcycles that would have competed during the circuit's original period—1948–1966.
History
The ...
Meeting Tourist Trophy, which he won with team-mate
Emanuele Pirro
Emanuele Pirro (; born 12 January 1962) is an Italian racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Pirro is a List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners, five-time winner of the 24 Hours of L ...
, and the Nurburgring 500 km where he won his class on the famous
Nordschleife.
2002 saw him return to the
Nordschleife for the Nürburgring 24 Hours where he finished third in class in a
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986.
The initial mod ...
despite spending over an hour in the pits with mechanical problems.
Work commitments proved too much in 2003, but a return to modern racing in 2004 saw Fisken compete in two iconic races: the
Sebring 12 Hours
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. In the past, this race has ...
and the
Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
, both with the GT – Racers Group
Porsche GT3 RSR.
Attracted by endurance racing, in 2005 Fisken signed up to the Intersport team for two rounds of the
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le M ...
(with a best in class result in Portland) and the
Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
(retired after having led his class), and with Team Jota for two rounds of the
Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...
(best result of fifth overall in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
).
Mechanical problems plagued the 2006 season in which the best result possible was a first in class in the Shell Historic Ferrari Challenge and a fourth in the Donington 1000 km driving an LMP1 works Courage.
2007 saw Fisken race for the complete year in the
Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...
for
Larbre Competition in the
Aston Martin DBR9
The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing, debuting in 2005 and racing actively in international sportscar racing until the end of GT1 category in 2011. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winn ...
with a best result being first in class in the Mille Milhas,
Interlagos
Interlagos is a neighborhood located in the district of Socorro (district of São Paulo), Socorro in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Its name comes from the fact that the region is located between two large reservoirs, Guarapiranga and Billings ...
, Brazil. He did, however, manage to make the finish in the
Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
, with the same car, with a respectable 13th in class. He was also awarded the Scott Moncrieffe award, named after his former employer Bunty, given for sportsmanship and services to historic racing.
In 2008, Fisken experienced the thrill of a lifetime driving the famous Ferrari 330 P3 at
Paul Ricard
Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...
, twice finishing on the podium. An appearance at the
Le Mans Classic and Silverstone Classic weekends showed that he had lost none of his passion for old-timers. A return to the
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le M ...
quickly followed with 19th position overall and fourth in the
LMP1 class at
Road America
Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...
with Intersport.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisken, Gregor
1964 births
Living people
British GT Championship drivers
British sports businesspeople
American Le Mans Series drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
24 Hours of Spa drivers
Aston Martin Racing drivers
Larbre Compétition drivers
Jota Sport drivers
Scottish racing drivers